SMARTCUTS can be described as a cylindrical structure that allows multiple, multipurpose ``arms,'' called Universal Tooling System (UTS), to simultaneously access and operate on a workpiece. The design and fabrication of stiff, accurate and dexterous UTSs and their control and coordination form the heart of this project. Each of these UTSs is a Stewart-platform-based mechanism with three degrees of freedom. In developing this type of a cooperating machine tool structure, the project will embrace the issues of kinematics, dynamics, controllability, accuracy and error compensation, and simultaneous machining.

The goal of this project is to develop an ``agile'' machine tool capable of simultaneously controlling machining and fixturing operations. Fixturing will become a more integral part of the machine tool system, requiring that fixture designers and manufacturers become more involved in the system design earlier in the machine tool development life cycle. An essential step in accomplishing this goal is to develop a systematic, analytic procedure to design machining fixtures that are optimal with respect to part quality precision and accuracy using the existing and emerging fixturing technologies.

In spite of significant technological advances made over the years in developing advanced machine tools and cutting tools, the technology of workpiece fixturing has lagged behind. The goal of this research proposal is to develop a unified fixture and machining process design, analysis, and optimization tool embedded in an interactive software environment. This tool would allow rapid redesign of the fixture layout in a systematic and scientific manner to accommodate changes in part families when using modular fixtures as well as for fully programmable agile fixtures.

Our research program entails an ongoing series of studies aimed at enhancing and refining existing machining process models for the three-dimensional metal-cutting processes. In this project a unified approach to calibrating these models is sought. The approach allows for the generation of a set of machining force coefficients from a single set of turning experiments. These coefficients can then be used to predict the static forces for the turning, boring, end/face milling, and drilling processes. Development of the static drilling force model, as yet unformulated at the university, will be a major result of the project.

In recent years, the development of accurate and reliable machining process models has been driven by the need for analytical/numerical tools capable of predicting the machining process performance (e.g., cutting forces, surface form errors, surface finish, stability charts) to enable simultaneous engineering of products and machining process. This project offers a comprehensive, scientifically based method that provides a software tool for machining process design and analysis. It will enable process planners to establish optimal cutting conditions, allow tooling engineers to design efficient tooling fixtures, and select the appropriate cutting tools, and enable automatic generation and verification of NC programs.

The purpose of this research is to develop a machining process for ceramics that has a high metal removal rate and causes minimal surface damage and strength reduction to ceramic components. Presently, a rotary ultrasonic machining process is being investigated. The material removal mechanism involved in the process is being studied. A parametric study of this process has been conducted to study the influence of process variables on the process output. Theoretical models have been built to characterize the material removable mechanisms and predict the material removal rate. Extensions to rotary ultrasonic milling are planned.

Quasi-static effects (thermal and mechanical) cause changes in the geometry of the structural members of a machine tool, thus resulting in errors known as quasi-static machine errors. These effects have been observed to result in errors as high as 120 microns in the workspace of the machine. This research aims at developing models for predicting and controlling these errors. Models for three-axis machining centers have already been developed and experimentally verified. Extensions to S-axis machines and robots are being studied.

This project addresses the problem of modeling how the inaccuracies in the links and joints of an industrial robot are translated into errors in positioning and orientation of the end-effector. Once such models are obtained, their use in robot calibration and error compensation schemes will be explored. Development of software for the optimal assignment of tolerances to the links and joints for minimum production costs will also be undertaken.

The widespread use of advanced materials (such as superalloys, structural ceramics, and metal matrix composites) poses great challenges to traditional grinding processes. Low removal rates, high wheel costs, and wheel dressing problems are very common, and new grinding processes are urgently needed in machining (profiling and finishing) these materials. An abrasive electrodischarge grinding (AEDG) process is under development. As a hybrid process, AEDG is characterized by the mutual assistance of mechanical abrasion and electrical erosion in material removal. AEDG has a high potential as a cost-effective and efficient grinding process for advanced electrically conductive materials.

Thermal and mechanical sources produce errors in the geometry of the structural members of a machine tool. Errors also result from the machining process due to the application of cutting forces to a nonrigid tool, workpiece, and machine tool. Together, these errors affect the inaccuracies a machining process produces on a product. Models for machine tool and process generated machining errors have been developed and are being integrated to form a model that may be used to predict the total machining error produced by a machining operation. Such a model may be used for process planning as well as for machine tool design.

A static cutting force model has been developed for the face milling process. The model is capable of predicting three-dimensional cutting forces for a variety of cutting edge and complex workpiece geometries, and is able to handle linear and circular cutter paths. Some preliminary work has been done toward developing a model to predict the part flatness based on the static elastic deflections of the part surface under given loading conditions. Current efforts are aimed at refining and enhancing the static force and surface flatness models and developing a dynamic cutting force model.

Widely used in aerospace and automotive industries, conventional drilling remains one of the most economical and commonly used machining processes for hole making in metal parts and, increasingly, in advanced aerospace materials. Problems such as excessive forces, chatter, drill breakage, burr formation in metals, and delamination in fiber-reinforced composites, inhibit hole quality, surface damage, process efficiency, and tool life. This project offers a more comprehensive, scientifically based method which provides useful computer-aided engineering tools to design, manufacture, and evaluate new drill points, and implement solutions to the aforementioned problems.

Applications for microelectrical-mechanical systems (MEMS) which are being developed include low-cost microoptical mechanical switches for telecommunications, mechanical devices for microsurgery, and masks for biological molecule deposition. This project is aimed at high force and displacement devices, as well as using dissimilar materials and creating 3-D utility from planar elements. One approach is to combine wafer-scale and laser-material processing to join elements that cannot be fabricated in the same process as silicon. Research in silicon and laser-material processing is currently being developed to solve fundamental issues of MEMS.

This research aims to develop tools and methodologies for the use of rapid prototyping technologies for the production of low-cost molds. Research facilities include part scanning, CAD solid model creation, rapid prototyping utilizing the stereolithography process, the production of room temperature vulcanized (RTV) molds, the CNC machining/finishing of molds and dies, and spray metal mold production. Spray metal molds have the advantage of low cost and short lead time. However, the process is new and not well understood, and good molds are difficult to produce. Modeling of the spray metal mold-making process is an important aspect of this research.

The athletic shoe industry has grown rapidly in the last 15 years. About 3,000,000 people in the United States suffer from foot pathologies that require some type of shoe insert. The use of properly fitting shoes in these cases could prevent severe problems. The main problem with mass produced shoes is that no two feet, even of the same pair, are exactly the same. Free-form surface modeling, surface error analysis, reverse engineering, and advanced flexible manufacturing are being used to research and develop a methodology for creating properly fitting athletic shoes for the mass market.

The overall objective of this project is the development of systems design and application tools for ``shunt-type'' bolted joint force transducers for retrofitting with minimal downtime to a wide variety of machine tools. The emphasis is on cost-effective and industrially rugged systems solutions that do not compromise the integrity of the machine or limit the quality and performance of subsequent production due to reduced machine stiffness, recalibration needs, or spurious interference with the machine controller. An analytical model is being developed for shunt-type force transducer configurations.

The objective of this research is to develop a common hardware and software platform for implementing sensor-based precision machining control. Focus is on the processes of grinding and single point turning, as they offer the most potential for improvement in light of present usage in industry. The project addresses basic research in sensors and control to improve the performance of existing machine tools as well as provide the basis for improvements in design for the next generation of machine tools.

The purpose of this project is to develop a breakthrough technology that will revolutionize the manufacturing of camshafts. The technology is based on the use of variable-depth-of-cut machining in a single-point turning environment to produce noncircular shapes using a combination of rapid actuation of the tool slide and high-speed, real-time digital signal processing and precision motion control schemes. This technology enables the generation of a wide variety of cam profiles in software, creating an agile manufacturing process that will meet evolving trends and competitive needs for U.S. camshaft manufacturing in the years to come.